This invention relates generally to the field of decorative elements made of thin film or sheet polymers, and in particular to such decorations such as garlands, ribbons, artificial icicles and artificial Christmas trees where environmental considerations and flammability concerns are important.
Many decorative elements used for holiday celebrations and other special occasions are made from strips of thin plastic film (typically 0.5 to 1.5 mils), either alone or in combination with wire or other support means. Often the film is colored or metallized by adding additional layers to the plastic film create a foil with enhanced reflective properties. Examples of such decorations include artificial icicles (long narrow strips of thin silver-colored foil which are draped onto Christmas trees), garlands (short narrow strips of thin foil or colored plastic entwined with interlocking wires to create an elongated decorative device which is draped onto or encircling Christmas trees or other base articles), ribbons (long medium-width strips of thin foil or colored plastic used to encircle items), and artificial Christmas trees (decorative objects simulating a tree and having short narrow strips of thin, green or other-colored, plastic or foil mounted onto branch-like projections extending from a trunk-like central member).
It is the most common current practice to make these decorative elements from a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) polymer. PVC is typically produced by an oxyhydrochlorination process. The electrolysis of brine provides chlorine and caustic soda, and the chlorine is reacted with ethylene to produce ethylene dichloride, which is dehydrohalongenated to yield vinyl chloride monomer. Approximately 9.8 billion pounds are produced annually, with most commercial PVC made up of homopolymers and a small amount of copolymers. It has a high blending capability with plasticizers, stabilizers and other additives.
Unfortunately, PVC suffers from serious drawbacks with regard to health and the environment. Many credible studies have shown that exposure to PVC causes a number of medical conditions and diseases, including numbing/poor circulation in the fingers, and severe damage or cancer of the liver, lungs, skin and blood. This is mainly due to the use of pthalates as an additive to soften the PVC. The pthalates leach from the PVC rather easily over time and exposure. Companies such as Visa, Nike, Lego, Brio, Mattel and Toys-R-Us have announced severe restrictions or outright bans on production of certain toys and other items from PVC. The international environmental protection organization Greenpeace continues to promote a call for a total ban on the use of PVC in production.
Furthermore, while PVC is considered flame-resistant, since it does not ignite until a temperature of about 1500 degrees C. is reached, it does present problems in situations likely to be encountered in the home. PVC will not ignite at low temperatures, but PVC film such as used in holiday decorations will char when contacted by a flame. This charring releases toxic gases and smoke into the air.
It is an object of this invention to provide decorative elements composed of an environmentally safe and non-carcinogenic polymer, to wit, polypropylene (PP), of the type which is designated as non-flammable under the standards of the Federal Hazardous Substance Act, which can be formed into thin films of a transparent, colored or metallized nature. The thin film PP is formed into decorative elements such as artificial icicles, artificial Christmas trees, garlands, ribbons, etc.